Is Safety a Priority in Your Organization?
Safety is about more than just policies, equipment, and training. A safe work space should make investment in safety a priority throughout the organization. In this article, we'll look creating the kind of safety culture that your employees will want to follow.
Setting safety standards for your employees
The most difficult part of workplace safety is getting employees to actually follow the standards set by their employer. Compliance is important, because employers will want to see a return on their investment in safety equipment and safety procedures. When it comes to safety, without employee buy-in employers are likely to see their efforts wasted. To get employee participation, it’s important for them to be involved early.
Setting safety standards with your employees
Getting employees involved with the creation of standards and procedures will help to instill a sense of commitment. When an employee sees that his or her values are reflected in your safety policy, they are much more likely to follow that policy. Involving your employees doesn’t mean that your organization has to create safety standards by committee, but being open to suggestions can go a long way to ensuring that employees feel like they have a voice in their creation. It’s much easier to hold high expectations in a workplace when it’s apparent that those expectations have been set by the majority.
Making safety part of the routine in your workplace
A lot of people are resistant to change, so it shouldn’t be surprising when employees reject new safety procedures. By presenting safety as part of regular work procedures, safe employees will feel more open to engage in new occupational health and wellness (OHS) work practices. Some of the ways that you can make safety more routine in your workplace include:
Place a safety bulletin in a highly visible location and keep it current so that employees check it regularly.
Include safety in every meeting to help improve the retention of information.
Model safety for others in your organization to help encourage compliance.
Making your investment in safety count
Getting your employees the resources they need to stay safe in the workplace is only one piece of a larger puzzle. Creating a safety culture within your organization is important when you want your employees to use the tools that you’ve given them. By asking for employee input and making safety visible in your workplace, you can create effective safety standards that everyone feels invested in.